By Adrian Jawort
Brien competes in MMA fights periodically, and usually wins quickly. “To me, MMA and Jiu-Jitsu are two different things. Jiu-Jitsu is what I do and it’s my hobby, it’s my sport, it’s a daily thing. MMA is the challenge for when I’m in the mood for it.”
The headline reinforces an old stereotype, of course. Every Native athlete is apparently a warrior. Or perhaps every Native is a warrior. "Native receptionist is a phone warrior." "Native dental hygienist is a tooth warrior." Etc.
For more on the subject, see "Rezdog" the Mixed Martial Artist and Martial Artist Yells War Cries.
Below: "Aaron Brien, shown here on the Crow Reservation, is the head of the 406 Jiu-Jitsu Club on the Flathead Indian Reservation." (Adrian Jawort)
This article is actually 'against' the stereotypes in a way. See:
ReplyDelete“It’s hard to do without being cheesey! We come from a warrior culture, but we don’t want to be walking into our fights with feathers in our hair.” He cites a few Crow warriors like Plenty Coup and Medicine Crow. “We have the ability to be just like them, but just in a different form and fashion.”
...and he's just proud of his Crow ancestors who ARE in fact warriors....
Interesting read....